He did what he could to stave off Carolina’s end in raucous battles for the fabled Stanley Cup, the world’s most famous hockey trophy. Martin Nečas made use of a great pass from teammate Jordan Martinook from behind the goal to open the scoring in the 19th minute.
He scored in the second game in a row and with four goals and five assists he is the most productive Czech in the NHL playoffs. But even the excellent form of the 25-year-old striker was not enough for the strong opponent New York Rangers, who turned the score to 5:3 with four hits in the third period and advanced to the finals of the Eastern Conference. Bad news for the Hurricanes, good news for the Czech national team, which they will strengthen at the World Cup in Prague.
WC in hockey 2024
It was only a matter of health, Nečas had already repeatedly declared during the season his willingness to strengthen the national team, if circumstances allow. “I spoke with Martin several times during the season and he always told me that if his team falls out of the playoffs, he would be happy to come to Prague for the World Cup,” explained the general manager of the national team, Petr Nedvěd.
It was just waiting to see if, after a difficult playoff series, in which he narrowly avoided covering a wild lunge with the elbow of Rangers guard Jacob Trouba, for example, he would pass a medical examination in the Carolina organization. Although he treats several ailments, he got the green light. And even though his contract has expired and he is at risk, he did not hesitate to get on a plane to Prague with his mother and sister.
He can prove himself at the domestic tournament, but mainly to the Czech fans, because the general managers of the NHL are already well aware of the qualities of Nečas. He completed his sixth season in the NHL. In the previous year, he was Carolina’s most productive player in the regular season. He was fourth this season; in 77 games, he scored 53 points thanks to 24 goals and 29 assists. He was one of the drivers of the Hurricanes’ offensive even in the playoffs.
The native of Nové Město na Moravě has only appeared at the Senior World Championship in 2018, when he scored five points (3+2) in seven games as a teenager. Now, he is expected to help the otherwise lauded national team, especially with a poor power play – which he used just once in 22 attempts in the first four games. The two-time Czech champion with Brno can quickly shoot from the volley, but also give out surprising passes.
“If it could be supplemented with a difference scorer, it would help. Martin Nečas is a player who can help a lot,” believes former national team defender Lukáš Krajíček.
“Nečas has been asserting himself in the NHL for three or four years, by our standards he is an exceptional player,” said the soon-to-be seventy-seven-year-old former coach Vladimír Vůjtek.
“He will definitely help especially in goals,” added Jiří Hrdina, a three-time Stanley Cup winner.
Already on the plane, Nečas has to deal with the disappointment of the elimination of the Hurricanes and switch to a new challenge. “This is what David Kämpf has now experienced after being eliminated with Toronto. The bitterness is there. Even when you feel that the team is stepping, and suddenly the chance burns away. It’s not fun to switch your brain to another mode, but when you jump on the ice, you have new motivation and a new goal in front of you, so you forget about it,” explains Krajíček.
And now a duo from Boston
The Czech team kept three free spots for reinforcements from the NHL. The remaining two spots could be filled by Boston forwards David Pastrňák and Pavel Zacha if the Bruins fail to win the sixth game against Florida on Saturday morning.
“Pasta has been proving for years that he is the superstar that runs Boston. Even in the national team, he confirmed that he can score goals and will help him. I don’t know how it would be with Zacha, who has never represented. If he would come, or even think about it, or whether the coaching staff is thinking about it. But it would also be a huge help for a handyman,” says Krajíček.
“We don’t even have to talk about Pastrňák. He showed it two years ago when we won bronze in Tampere. He flew in and they created a line that scored two power play goals in every match and won,” recalled Vůjtek.
Back Filip Hronek ruled out a possible participation in the home championship, as his Vancouver defeated Edmonton 3:2 and also leads the series 3:2.
“I don’t think the team that the coaches have picked is based on the fact that Carolina is out and Boston is out, that they’re keeping their fingers crossed that our players will be out, come to the World Cup and we’ll be a saved nation.” Not that. The strength of the team is, these would be extra weapons that can push us towards the success we all want,” points out hockey expert Rostislav Olesz, a bronze Olympian from Turin.
Those extra sharp weapons are going to come in handy though. Not so much for Saturday’s duel with Great Britain, or for Tuesday’s draw against Canada, but especially for Thursday’s quarter-finals.
No. 88 will certainly be happy to leave Pastrňák’s time.
2024-05-17 19:38:07
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